Sunrise Valley Farm

Gail and Harry Groot

540.639.3077

4615 Mountain Pride Rd.; Hiwassee, VA 24347

Contact: gail@sunrisevalleyfarm.com

Sunrise Valley Farm is a 110 acre family farm in Montgomery County, about 30 minutes from Blacksburg, near Riner and Snowville where four generations have now lived on and loved the land. We practice sustainable forestry and agriculture, and part of our stewardship is to raise mainly endangered breeds: Leicester Longwood sheep, Romeldale CVM sheep, Myotonic goats, Narragansett turkeys, and Delaware chickens.

We sell free-range eggs, farm raised lamb, as well as yarn, dryer balls, and ornaments made from 100% wool. We make handcrafted soaps using our sheep’s milk and have both colored and white machine-washable pelts.

Our line of artisanal yarns , both pure wool and blended with our alpaca’s fiber, are mill spun, then hand dyed at our farm using Greener Shades dyes, which are environmentally friendly with no heavy metals.

Our wool comes from our flock of Leicester Longwools, the only purebred sheep during the time of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other colonials. They were used for meat, fiber, and to improve flock genetics and performance. Our objectives are similar to all stewards of conservation breeds: to maintain the genetics while improving the breed.  For the sheep, we’ve focused on certain lines which embody the breed standard with excellent fleeces, good mothering, calm personalities, and a fine carcass with a sweet, tender taste that isn’t strong flavored.  We make as many things from our sheep as time and ideas allow in order to fund our conservation efforts.  (Same with our Heritage chickens and goats. )  Please stop by to talk with us on Saturdays at the Market about breed conservation and to see products from these great animals!